


A breath extinguished

by orphan_account



Category: Original Work
Genre: Death, Drugs, I have no idea what I'm doing, Suicide metion, first fic, violence mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 08:17:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6510190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You died. How sad. It's time for a chat with death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A breath extinguished

 

I suppose it was time for me to die. I was only nineteen; but I had already wasted my entire life. The only thing I questioned was the nature of my death. It wasn't suicide, like I had been planning for that afternoon; nor was it an overdose on one of the several drugs I had been taking. I was just walking home when suddenly, a car came careening around the turn and smashed into me. I don't know if the driver survived, but I didn't.

The next thing I saw was a tall, skinny man in a long, black robe helping me up. His hair was dark, and his skin was as pale as the moon. I couldn't make out most of his features, but I could tell his eyes were black, blacker than the darkest night. I was instantly enchanted by him. He simply said, “It’s time for you to continue on.” I looked at him oddly. Was this the man taking me to my doom? I had one question for him before I passed on. “I want to ask some-” He cut me off. “Look, I don't know what comes after, I've never been there.” I frown. “That's not it. What do you remember?”

He stared at me. “N-nobody's ever asked me that before.” He stuttered. “Well, I'd like to know.” I simply replied. He sat on the edge of a nearby fence, and regarded me with those cold, dark eyes. “I guess I can tell you a few things. I've been around for a long time, you know.” I nodded in response.

“I used to be flesh and blood, just like you. This was long before you were born; or perhaps it was long after. I forget. I was a other regular kid; but with one large difference.” At this, he paused, and glared into the sun that had just begun to set. “I could see the ghosts. The whispers of people that had once lived. But they were nothing like people, you hear me?” He turned his steely expression down to me. “Nothing. They-” he seemed to be getting choked up. “They clawed at my flesh, bit my arms, tore my skin. They just wanted to inflict pain. God, so much pain. I don't think I ever truly recovered. The worst part?” He smiled down at me, but it was a cruel smile. I shivered. “Nobody ever believed me.”

“I tried to tell them. That these ghosts were the ones causing all this pain. But they just said I was crazy. Insane. Well, maybe I was, but who wouldn't be? With these shadows as dark as ink tormenting me every waking moment.” He seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown. I gently rubbed his arm, and he smiled at me again. This time it was kind.

“After a while, I just ended it. I let the ghosts tear the flesh off my bones. I was gone. But… Nobody came for me, like I came for you. Instead, I just found myself in a blank white room. No windows. No door. I was in there for an eternity. Literally?” He still seemed so unsure of telling me this. He slowly took my hand. “Eventually, I tore at one of the walls and- it broke apart. I don't know how. But I was in a room, a different place. Finally.”

“There was a desk. Behind the desk, a woman, clothed all in white. She had a clipboard. After looking at me for a moment, she said:  
‘Oh. How did you get out of purgatory? I don't have anything prepared for you yet.’ She flipped through some papers. ‘Here. The place is almost done- but we need someone to round up the dead souls, and bring them either up here-’ she gestured around the room- ‘Or down there.’ She pointedly looked at the floor. All of a sudden, her eyes lit up. Like it was her birthday or something. And-and she said- ‘Hey! You have to be pretty strong, I'm sure you can handle a few rowdy souls! You can take all the dead people, and deliver them to purgatory. After that, I'll have an agent assign them to their required afterlife. Don't worry, kid! It'll be a piece of cake.’ I was so scared. This woman was dooming me to rounding up souls for the rest of my death. I had no escape. It's terrible.”

“She handed me a necklace.” He pulled at a chain at his neck, one I hadn't noticed before. It was silver, with a white skull-shaped pendant. “When I took it I-in that moment, I could see eternity, and it drove me mad.” He clenched my hand tighter, and leaned his head on my shoulder ever-so-slightly. I'm not sure why death himself needed so much attention; perhaps, reaping souls didn't give him much time for human contact. I merely leaned my head upon his and waited for him to continue.

“I didn't see everything, I suppose. I didn't see small moments, like this one. But I saw the rise and fall of empires, the entirety of the human race, everything I could possibly want to know. And it was terrifying and awful. I never wish that upon anyone.”

“I started, back when the first humans were around. The very first one, well, someone else hit him with a rock. Then, I found myself there. He was the only one that could see me. I took his hand, and- I seemed to jump. Back to that blank white room. I was terrified of it. But when I let go of him, I was back. I was at the next dead one. Some sort of sickness, this time. And it continued, over and over.” He seemed so sad.

“I saw every death. Every last one. Each time, I took them to that blank white room. Each time, there was another person to be disposed of. Never a break. Until I met you.” He seemed happy now. I guess nobody listened to his story before.

“The wars were the worst. I hadn't even disposed of one body when another fell. When that happened, I seemed to-I'm not sure. Stretch? It was like being in a thousand different places at once. Even now, I'm more than here. I'm inside that hospital they're taking your body to. I'm in a house in a different part of town. I'm in a million different places right now, all at the same time. It's horrible.”

“But, it's not as bad. Getting to sit here and talk. Come on now, it's time to go.” He gently pulled my hand, and I was ripped from this world. I only saw a blank white room. “I'm sure someone will come pick you up. That's what she said she'd do. Goodbye. It was nice to meet you.”

I sat down, tired. Time to wait.

**Author's Note:**

> So! This was my first fic, that I wrote in about three hours one caffeine-fueled night. Hope you enjoyed it!


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